CHPT 6 - Product development by the manufacturer and retailer

2 main approaches the director of product development may take toward the branding of a line

1. a design driven brand 2. merchandising driven brand

general product development steps

1. inspiration sources (fabrics, art, travel destinations, films, colors0 reviewed. market research conducted and previous years sales are analyzed. PRODUCT CATEGORIES DECIDED 2. trend forecasts. preliminary line i splanned and company decides "what it believes in" COLOR STORIES ARE SELECTED 3. fabrics and trims researched- selections made. PRINTS ARE DESIGNED 4. concepts developmed, storyboards, designs sketched. sample fabrics and trims ordered. LABDIPS, colored samples of selected fabrics, are requested 5. merchandising meetings held- line edited from sketches 6. specifications are written, technical packages compiled 7. sourcing completed, samples or prototypes are constructed and preliminary costing requested 8. patterns and first samples produced. often 20-50 percent more designs are made than what is actually manufactured. FACTORIES ADVISE ON COSTS. 9. samples are fitted, edited, and adopted. quality may be integral part of cost. quanitities finalized and orders placed 10. samples, prototypes produced . private label goods may require only a meetings. costs finalized 11. private bran in retail operation decentralized buying, styles will be sold internally to buyers who quanity purchase 12. production frabric and trim orders 12. production goods manufactued 14, goods packed and shipped to retailer 15. merchandize is recieved by retailer

4 reasons retailers moved into business of developiung theiur own products or lines of products

1. wanted to be able to satisfy specific customer demands 2. went into business of creating products is fashion exclusivity - FASHION EXCLUSIVITY 3. product development provided higher proFit margins!!! MOST IMPORTANT 4. REATILERS NEEDED TO REDUCE LEAD TIME BETWEEN ORDERING NEW MERCHANDISE and recieving it on the fales floor- FAST FASHION

A line plan specifies the following variables for a line designed for a season: The number and types of fabric and yarns to be used The anticipated stock-keeping units (SKUs) and approximate preferred costs The production requirements for all of the styles in a line All of the above The number of styles and colors per styles

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croquis

A PAINTING OF PRINT WHICH COMPANY BUYS SO THAT THEY CAN INCLUDE A PRINT ON THE LINE THAT IS EXCLUSIVE TO THE COMPANY=- DESIGNER DEVELOPS A PRINT

knockoff

COPY OF ANOTHER STYLE, OFTEN OF LESSER QULAITY AND WITH MINOR MODIFICATIONS can be found at midpriced retail stores less common today but retailers have a history of creating private label lines that were collections of knockoffs

fast fashion

DESCRIBE apparel and accessories trends that are designed and manufactured quickly and affordably to allow the mainstream consumer to take advantage of current fashions at lower price this philosophy of quick manufacturering and affordable prices is the business model of many large retailers - H&M, forever 21 etc achieved through retailers understanidng of the target makrets wants, in that the latest runway trends, and new variations of products the customer is buying are delivered to the sales floor as fast as possible

A brand that is vying for the same customers of another brand, by offering products in a similar category, at similar price points.

Direct competition

A knockoff is an exact copy of another style. T/F

FALSE

Knock off and counterfeit items are the same. T/F

FALSE

director of product development

IS ULTIMATELY responsible for the strategic planning of the division , specifying exactly what the company will make and market, as well as when it will do this, after selecting a general product category, such as junior t shirt- the director of product development must narrow the focus- the fashion market is extremely segmented, with each brand filling its particular niche--- so picking to create a line of junior tshirts isnt enough because its too broad for effective line development ex- they will decide to create a vintage inspired t shirt for fashion forward young female customers in junior sizes extra small to large WORK WITH STAFF TO BUILD A BRAND - PERSONALITY AND STYLE

design-driven brand

Led by a designer expressing his or her own artistic vision and personal taste- expressing a personal artistic vision and sense of taste ex- targets collaboration with missoni - this brand appeals to customers who relate to the designers particular style and flair and includes most brands with designer names tend to be more original and creative HAVE PECULIAR DISTINCTION of representing bOTH. a particular designers viewpoint and a line of products pg 94

merchandising calander

MERCHANDISER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CONSTRUCTING THIS - the product development teams scheduel the goal of this is to deliver the right product ( correct style, quality and price) at the right time PG 96-97

exclusiveS

OR items that only one retailer carries

when complete group of styles is finalized all of the sketches are placed on a line sheet so the froup may be seen at a glance---- typical tasks of the designer may include-

PG 99

strike off

PRINT images sent to pritning mill- th emill will print a few yards of fabric- STRIKE OFF- and send it to the product developer (colorist or designer) for approval before it is made into a sample

product development designer

PRIVATE LABEL DESIGNERS- creators of the product line for a manufacturer or a retailer ex- in addition to its own brand, fossil manufactures a collection of watches under a number of brands such as michele, zodiac, adidas, burberry, DKNY, --- fossil has product development designers owrking on these collections each seasons

line plan

Shows the number of styles in the line, the number and general types of fabrics and yarns to be used, colors per style, anticipated stock-keeping units (SKUs) and approximate preferred costs not only gives product developers guildlines from which to work and focuses their efforts in distinct direction but also takes into account fabric and yarn minimums and lead times

spec sheet

Specification list; typically provides detailed measurements and construction guidelines includes- technical sketch all of measurements and tolerancees , type and yardage of fabrication and trim information item on spec sheet can have critical impact on costs and production of item

product development patternmaker

TAKES accurate measurements and develops a pattern using either draping or flat pattern methods, which, if correctly developed , ensures that the designers vision will be implemented

An example of a carryover is ____________. a style created from fabric that was over-ordered in the previous season a bestselling item from a previous season that is featured again with minor modifications in the next season a licensed division that allows a designer to have products in different merchandise classifications, such as shoes, sunglasses, or fragrances excess units of a style that did not sell in the previous season a copy, or knock-off, of a top style created by a top designer

a bestselling item from a previous season that is featured again with minor modifications in the next season

retailer

are businesses that sell products to the ultimate consumer and may include the vast range of brick and mortar stores (department stores, mass merchants, specialty stores, boutiques, discount stores, and outlet stores.) as well as brick and click stores and online stores

colorway

combinations of pairings of colors

fashion exclusivity

company having merchandise that is unique to that particular company you may have remarked or may have over heard customers saying everything looks the same but now retailers can have unique things to their company

sales forecast

created by product development director and merchandiser--- in conjunction with sourcing staff includes projections of sales by category , style, color, and size based on historical data and statistical analysis this info- used to place preliminary fabric and trim orders and block out production time in factories

textile technical designer

creates a new textile designs or modifies existing textile goods, altering patterns or prints that have been successful on the retial floor to turn them into fresh, new products develop color alternatives for modifed fabric print or pattern or work with colorist to accomplish the task work on computers to create or modify designs

direct market brand

describes a brand that is the name of the retailer this is often specialty store chain such as Ann taylor or IKEA or Gap

direct competition

director of product development must examine the competition - is any other brand producing similar product at roughly the same price point, targeted toward the same customer or market niche. fighting to be customers choice

contractor

factories that make and finish goods, may be domestic, meaning in US, or off shore such as those in china, india, or taiwan

color palette

groups of colors

colorist

in product development chooses the color combination that will be used in creating the product lines colorists need a strong knowledge of textiles , need to be able to be ascertain , for ex- how a print design will be produced , how the finished artcile will be used - how the fabric will react to dyes and finishes, and how big or limited the budget is frequently travel to trade and fashion makrets and subscribe to color- forecasting publications to stay on top of current and future color trends PG 100 PRODUCE BOARDS , SWATCHES AND VISSULES labdips, colorways, strike offs -

retail label

is a brand with the retailers name on it, such as neiman marcus, custom interiors, barneys a retailer may negotiate with a manufacturer to put its label on a group of items instead of or in addition to the manufactuters label some items carrying a retail label may be EXCLUSIVES

product development

is the creation, production, and marketing of a product from start to finish

private label

line name or brand that retailer develops and assigns to a collection of product development goods because many retailers were knocking off products that were already on the market, the majority of private label brands lacked fashion newness,

SOURCING

locating components and producers of the final product - relates to primary level of industry, manufacturers of fashion merchandise PG 98 SOURCING staff works with sales forecast to determine amount of product components needed

production authorization

merchandiser - responsiblities choosing and quantifying which styles will acutally be produced sometimes prior to sales PG 97

carryover

most lines include a few of these---- updated bestsellers from previous seasons

quality control manager

of a product development team is responsible for the inital inspection of sample garments and the fianl inspection of stock garments from the manufacturer checks fabric, fit, and construction for quality and adherence to product speficiation guildlines pg 104

decentralized buying

pg 88 ---- "styles will be sold internally to buyers who quantify the purchase" THE PROCESS used by individual stores or groups of stores within a retail chain that have a buyer who selects from the companys primary buyers purchases.

Target's Xhiliration, Macy's I.N.C., and JCPenney's Stafford are examples of ____________. store brands design-driven brands market-driven brands direct market brands private brands

private brands

design process

refers to the conception of a style, to include its inspiration or theme, color palette, fabric selection, form, and fit product development designers must be adept at synthesizing a variety of fashion influences while acknowledging marketability abnd fulfilling customer wants and needs

cross-shopping

refers to the customers inclination to purchase a wide variety of products in an array of brands from various providers--- directly from manufacturer , in resale store, at flea market, or a retailer of high end designers ---- loyalty to retilaers today have gone down due to stigma attached to cross shopping ex- wearing $60 BCBG tops with $232 baldwin jeans and $4.99 target flip flops

brick-and-click store

retail operation that offers products both through actual stores and online ex- Nordstrom sell their product lines through brick and click stores and catalogs

brick-and-mortar store

retail operations in a facility such as a building or a store in a mall (department stores, mass merchants, specialty stores, boutiques, discount stores, and outlet stores

merchandiser

role dependent on companies requirements - collaborates with director of product development in deciding what to produce and then organizes an dmanages the entire product development process responsible for development of a balanced , marketable, profitable, timely line some manufacturing companies--- merchandisers oversee the design function and may serve as LIAISONS between design and sales--- they will create the intial line plan and project target wholesale costs work closely with designers on seasonal themes and guild designers on the development of cost effective and marketable styles they may also have responsibilities in sourcing and marketing functions ----in other cos theres a sourcing staff to locate suppliers and manufacturers for project

A _______ provides projections of sales by category, style, color, and size based on statistical analysis and historical data. spec (specification) sheet sales forecast labdip product authorization strike off

sales forecast

private brand

similar to private level but even greater level of market penetration primarily through advertising --is a name owned exclusively by a particular store that is extensively marketed with a definite image, such as TARGETS MOSSIMO BRAND, macy's inc brand and JCpenny

labdip

small swatches of dyed fabric mills send these to product development team for color approval before dyeing large yardages of fabric organizing and approving labdips may consume a significant amount of a colorists time

key segmentation decision=

specifying the target market niche, which can be accomplished only by knowing the customer well- who she is, what she likes, where she lives, works, plays

merchandising driven-brand

void filling brands- do just that. these search for a void in the market or an underserved customer and create a product to fill that void and appeal to that distinct customer styling decisions are based on careful monitoring of past sales successes and failures in conjunction with customers desires